STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Spring ball is never indicative of who is going to standout by the time fall camp rolls around, but the 15 practices are still important in terms of program development.
Darlings of the spring game aren't automatically key contributors come September, but it's an important time to figure out the depth on the roster and continue toying with different combinations in hopes of having a much better picture by the time summer rolls around.
During the past season I asked players from time to time who they expected to step up this offseason and why they liked what they saw from teammates whether they were on the scout team or in developmental scrimmages.
This heated up in the lead up to the Fiesta Bowl and then I wanted to see if there were any position changes or weight losses/gains that were reported before putting this piece together.
So many of these younger players, whether through clogged paths to the field or injuries, will be relied on in some capacity next season. That’s the natural progression of college football and that starts to take shape during spring ball.
Penn State will on spring practice in less than one month and spring ball will conclude the 15th and final workout during the Blue-White Game on April 21. The annual scrimmage will begin at 3 p.m. and will air live on Big Ten Network. The later start time is something Penn State’s gone with the past few years and expect this one to hold extra importance on the recruiting trail because of the changes made to the recruiting calendar.
Here are a few names of returning players to know in the interim and why they could be important this spring:
1) Safety Jonathan Sutherland
Admittedly a little quiet off the field per his roommate Tariq Castro-Fields, on the field Sutherland hasn’t shied away from delivering big hits behind the scenes during last season’s developmental scrimmages.
“He’ll come down and hit you for sure,” Castro-Fields told me ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. “You’re a running back or a wide receiver you have to watch out for him. I’m really proud of how far he came. He even watches the game films and stuff with us so he works really hard.”
Remember, it was Sutherland who was garnering comparisons to safety Marcus Allen last fall when Allen even said he liked watching the young safety deliver hits during practice. Allen thought of Sutherland like a choo-choo train and would even unleash that same sound as Sutherland would sprint across the field to deliver a big hit. The secondary could use some power and punch back there next season.
Penn State has two vacant starting spots this spring and while Nick Scott and Ayron Monroe have the inside track because of their experience, Sutherland will be a name to know. The Ottawa native played his high school ball in Virginia and at the very least should add depth in the secondary and help on special teams. He was named the scout team's special teams player of the year last season.
"He’s like a mini Marcus," wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton told me last season. "You gotta calm him down sometimes. ... We always gotta know where Sutherland is becasue he might be trying to take your head off."
2) Running back Journey Brown
Penn State’s deepest position one season ago now has a few unknowns. While Miles Sanders is expected to be the top back and the Lions could rely on more of a back-by-committee approach than they have before, they’ll need this spring and summer to sort out the depth chart behind the former Woodland Hills standout.
Fifth-year senior Mark Allen is a change-of-pace back and five-star signee Ricky Slade will arrive in late June. Still, the Lions could find a few carries for Brown, a rising redshirt freshman, and could give him some opportunities on special teams as well. He did give the scout team defense some trouble last season, per defensive tackle Curtis Cothran.
“I’d definitely say Journey Brown,” Cothran said when asked who impressed him. “Journey is going to be a great back once he gets his opportunity and his chance. He definitely comes out, and he gives us the best look of any running back that we need, whether we need a guy that's just going to hammer between the A gaps or you need a guy that's more elusive be able to do those things.
“He's definitely impressed me in the fact he's been able to simulate those backs, being able to do a good job for us. When we get to Saturday's, it's like we're playing the same exact guy we're playing in practice.”
Penn State likes to first get young backs involved by working them in on special teams and then giving them spot touches from there. With Slade coming in soon this spring should be an important one for Brown as he has a chance to continue carving out a role.
3) Linebacker Ellis Brooks
Gone is middle linebacker Jason Cabinda, versatile backup Brandon Smith and outside linebacker Manny Bowen. Penn State has two starting linebacker spots to fill and finding a middle linebacker will be among the top priorities this season. There won’t be a shortage of candidates between Micah Parsons, Cam Brown, Koa Farmer, Jesse Luketa and Brooks.
Brown and Farmer physically don’t look like they’re out of the mold of the typical middle linebacker – after all, Farmer is a former running back turned safety turned linebacker and Brown at 6-5, 222 said he’s already heard that he doesn’t look the part. Still, they’ll all get looks this spring while Brooks, coming off a redshirt season as a freshman, wasn’t shy about being a vocal leader.
“He reminds me of Jason a little bit,” cornerback Grant Haley told me of Brooks. “They have their own presence when they come in the room. Ever since he came in, we knew who Jason was just by the way he talked and carried himself. I see similar things in Ellis as well. I’m excited for him and I think he’s going to be a great leader. That’s the most important thing on and off the field.”
And that leadership is critical at the middle linebacker position where whoever wins this job during camp will have big shoes to fill. Penn State wants their linebackers to know multiple spots and Brown will be asked to know all three in hopes that some combination sticks. Brooks, if not in the middle, could still land a spot elsewhere with the group needing to figure out what it has and who their best candidates are at all three spots.
"Ellis is a smart player, he's a hard worker first of all. He's a worker. He's a guy who is going to go into a workout and give it his all," Cabinda told me. "Secondly, he's a guy who has a high football IQ so he's a guy who can get things down. Obviously he's a freshman with a learning curve and it's obviously harder that high school, but he's a guy who will make sure he gets it down. He'll keep practicing and keep practicing until he feels good about it. ... I'm excited about him."
4) Quarterback Sean Clifford
If all goes according to plan you won’t hear from Clifford in the fall. But, this is still an important spring in terms of his development.
Remember, the former Elite 11 quarterback beat out quarterback Jake Zembiec, once an Elite 11 quarterback participant too, for that No. 3 spot last summer after being on campus for just a couple months. This position really gets interesting if Tommy Stevens isn’t here come fall.
There’s no telling one way or the other what Stevens will do as the Lions created the versatile Lion position to feature him in a starting role late last season. But, with Trace McSorley, a rising senior, atop the depth chart it’s a guessing game to figure out whether Stevens wants to wait it out another year or not.
Yes, Stevens is on campus this semester meaning he’ll certainly be part of spring ball. But, every year there is player movement after the conclusion of the spring game. We’ll see. Penn State has a nice balance at the position now and has their ideal situation with at least one scholarship quarterback per class. Still, Clifford should get plenty of work this spring just in case he'd be needed as the No. 2 next season.
WORTH NOTING
• Penn State announced it will host their pro day on March 20 in Holuba Hall. Expect there to be a lot of extra attention on it this year since Saquon Barkley will garner a lot of interest. However, I’d be surprised what, if anything, Barkley does beyond positional drills on campus considering he’ll likely do the rest of the events at the NFL Scouting Combine. Unless he performs really poorly there don’t look for him to re-test at pro day.
What types of workout numbers could Barkley post next week in Indianapolis? Well, last week when I was in the Lasch Building I snapped a photo of Penn State’s big board in their weight room with all their team and positional records. Penn State tests their players twice per year, once ahead of spring ball and again before camp. According to those numbers, Barkley’s best workout feats at Penn State were as follows:
• 40-yard dash: 4.33 (Winter 2017)
• NFL Shuttle: 4.00 (Winter 2016)
• Vertical: 38 inches (Summer 2016)
• Broad jump: 10'10" (Summer 2015)
• Squat 600 pounds (Winter 2016)
• Bench: 420 pounds (Winter 2017)
• Power clean: 390 pounds (Winer 2016)
Barkley’s 40-yard dash, NFL Shuttle and power clean are all still program records. So too is his strength index, which is the combination of top scores. Keep in mind Penn State’s strength staff wouldn’t always let him max out in certain years because they didn’t want him to risk injury after he already proved his point.
• Barkley’s hometown, Coplay, Pa., will hold a parade for him next month ahead of the NFL Draft. It’s the community’s way of saying thanks before Barkley heads on to whatever stop is next. He will also be honored in Harrisburg on March 14 as part of Saquon Barkley Day. The parade is slated for March 24 and Barkley and his family will be in attendance.
• Penn State strength coach Dwight Galt will meet with the media next Wednesday to discuss the team’s gains in the weight room this offseason. That always proves to be an interesting session as Galt outlines much of the team’s progress that’s taking place behind the scenes.
Some of the notable weight gains that were reported on the team’s updated roster within the past week that caught my eye included:
DT Robert Windsor: 6-4, 281 (was listed at 303); DT Kevin Givens: 6-1, 275 (was 287); DT Damion Barber: 6-3, 278 (was 245); DE Ryan Buchholz: 6-6, 264 (was 275); DE Yetur Gross-Matos: 6-5, 257 (was 248); DE Shaka Toney: 6-3, 224 (was 233); LB Cam Brown: 6-5, 222 (was 227).
I'm not sure what to make of the drops for Windsor and Givens, the latter whom will start the season back inside after bouncing out to defense end out of necessity last season. Barber's gain of 33 pounds certainly explains why he moved from defensive end to tackle within the past six months as well.
QB Tommy Stevens: 6-5, 232 (was listed at 228); OT Chasz Wright: 6-7, 346 (was 358); OL Connor McGovern: 6-5, 320 (was 312); OT Ryan Bates: 6-4, 305 (was 312); OL Steven Gonzalez: 6-4, 336 (was 341); OL CJ Thorpe: 6-3, 322 (was 329); OL Des Holmes: 6-5, 306 (was 319); OL Robbie Martin: 6-4, 273 (was 284); TE Danny Dalton: 6-4, 245 (was 234).
Wright's weight drop was something that pleased offensive line coach Matt Limegrover ahead of the bowl game and by the looks of it that carried through to the winter too. While Limegrover called bowl prep some of Wright's best practices since he's been his coach, that helps give the line some more proven depth while players like Mike Miranda, CJ Thorpe, Des Holmes and Michal Menet will be among the up and coming linemen who will garner plenty of interest in spring practice.
Holmes was honored as one of two -- and the lone returning -- scout team offensive player of the year last season.